George stars as Thunder roll to victory

Paul George scored 31 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder edged out the Indiana Pacers 107-99 in the latest round of NBA action.

There was also a triple-double for Russell Westbrook, who delivered a dominant display as his team recovered from an 11-point deficit, helped by scoring 24 consecutive points during the third quarter.

The Golden State Warriors left it late before overcoming hosts the Memphis Grizzlies 118-103, with Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant both scoring 28 points, and the Utah Jazz saw off the Los Angeles Lakers 115-100 in Salt Lake City.

The Portland Trail Blazers claimed their fifth straight win by downing hosts the Chicago Bulls 118-98 with an impressive all-round performance. Seth Curry led the way with a 20-point haul, while Al Farouq Aminu registered 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Enes Kanter, Zach Collins and Damian Lillard also made strong contributions.

It was a tight contest between the Washington Wizards and the Phoenix Suns, with Thomas Bryant’s three-point play less than three seconds from time edging the visitors home 124-121.

The Wizards prevailed despite Suns’ Devin Booker scoring 50-plus points for a second successive game, making him only the second Suns player to achieve that feat and 10th in NBA history, and Jamal Murray’s 33-point contribution for the Nuggets edged out the Pistons star Blake Griffin’s 29 in a 95-92 win.

Eric Bledisloe was star of the show for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Houston Rockets, scoring 23 points in a 108-94 success, and De’Aron Fox matched that total for the Kings, who won a gripping encounter against the Mavericks 125-121.

And Trae Young led the Atlanta Hawks, amassing 33 points as they defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 130-120.

Elsewhere, Bradley Beal’s 32 points for the Washington Wizards was to no avail as a Los Angeles Lakers team, inspired by 29 points from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, triumphed 124-106. Danilo Gallinari led the way for the Los Angeles Clippers with 25 points in their 122-111 triumph over the Minnesota Timberwolves.